Fair Trade Judaica (FTJ)

Fair Trade Judaica promotes fair trade as a Jewish value through educating the Jewish community, and expanding the production, distribution, and sale of fair trade Judaica products. We envision a world in which Jewish consumers recognize fair trade as an expression of core Jewish values, seek out fair trade Judaica products, and use their purchasing power to support thriving communities of artisans around the world.

What’s Jewish about Fair Trade?

A key tenet of Judaism is to “pursue justice” – Tzedek Tzedek Tirdof. We can pursue justice by making consumer choices that promote economic fairness for those who produce our products around the globe.
Following are several Jewish values and source materials supporting why it’s Jewish to seek out and purchase fair trade projects.

As Jews, we are obligated to work for economic justice.

“There is nothing in the world more grievous than poverty – the most terrible of sufferings. Our teachers have said: if all the troubles of the world are assembled on one side and poverty is on the other, poverty would outweigh them all.”(Midrash Exodus Rabbah 31:12)

The primary Jewish tool for helping the poor is tzedakah. According to the great 12th century Jewish scholar, Rabbi Moses ben Maimonides, the highest form of tzedakah is entering into a business partnership or giving a person a job so that he or she can become self-sufficient. When we buy fair trade products, we are effectively entering into a business partnership with the artisan or farmer, and our partnership supports fair trade producers to lift themselves out of poverty.

As Jews, we are obligated to ensure that workers are treated justly.

“You shall not abuse a needy or destitute laborer, whether a fellow countryman or a stranger in one of the communities of your land. You must pay him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets, for he is needy and he risks his life for it.”(Deut. 24:14-15)

The lesson here hinges on the phrase “risks his life for it.” Poor laborers depend on earning a decent wage in order to obtain the simple necessities of life. If an artisan or farmer works hard to produce a product that we want and need, we have an obligation to ensure that the farmer and his or her family receive sufficient income to live a sustainable life.

As Jews, we are obligated to be responsible consumers.

“It is forbidden to cheat people in buying and selling, or to deceive them.”(Rabbi Moses ben Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Mechirah 18:1)

As indicated above, Jewish law makes it very clear that workers under our care are to be treated justly. From this it can be inferred that as consumers, we also have the obligation to ensure that the people who are producing the goods that we purchase are paid properly and fairly for their work.

Fair Trade Judaica's website would never have happened without three extraordinary people:Lisa K. Chanoff, whose generous donation made the project possible,Dean MacDonald who captured our essence with his brilliant logo and artistic influence, andAaron Hodge Silver who took our ideas and built a website we can grow into for a long time to come.